Wednesday, February 26, 2014

I've noticed the past few days that we're fully back to waking up in the light and, if I leave work on time, I at least get out of my building before it's dark. It's unlikely I can get home in the light--yet--but it's a start.

While I've been neglecting the socks floating around Chez Hedgehog and as I've been eyeballing new sweater patterns, I have spent time on a project I started in 2010: the Pool Cookies Scarf. Long time readers may remember this from a 3.5 year old post. And really it's not any different, just finally longer.

It doesn't look too different, still that odd kind of double helix spiral/pooling thing happening through the pink, brown and white.

I am up to about 3.5 feet of scarf now, at least I think I am. I am intrigued yet again with how much faster a project can get towards completion when I actually work on it.

I think part of the reason it got shoved into the never never world of the bottom of the stash was that I'm not really close to the person I had in mind when I started the project. Without a specific person in mind, the project languished. I like the colors, they're interesting in how they look pooling and drifting in between each other, but this is not a project I'll wear. So once it's done it's going in the gift bin until I find it a good home.

Oh, that reminds me, I finally blocked the green sweater! Aaaaaand it's too big. The yarn grew a fair amount in a wet block (no I didn't swatch, stop smirking) and I'm debating if I toss it in the dryer for 15 minute cycles or not. As a big slouchy cardigan it's okay, but I wouldn't wear it to work and that's rather frustrating.

Not to worry though, I've rounded up 3 other sweater patterns that I think I want to knit 'next' along with Wendy Johnson's lovely new Mythic Mitts pattern. I'm waiting to see how many emails I get from friends and relatives with the strong suggestion that they would really like a pair of dragon mitts and maybe theirs could be in green or orange or blue or or or....

And I still have a third of a sock to try and finish in the next two days. Assuming I don't leave it at work again accidentally.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Nearly the only thing I've done for the past month is interview people. I have officially become a very hard person to impress and it's been incredibly draining. I'm looking forward to March and sitting in my cube like a lump for 1-2 whole hours at a time answering email in a way I can't hardly describe. I might even get back to my research writing.

There's been progress on the Philosopher's socks. I'm through the heel on Sock 2 so it's possible that I might get through an entire sock in the month of February. 3 socks in January, 1 in February. Yeah, I'm not impressed with me either.

Nor has there been much in the way of work on the Emergency Sock Knitting that's adorning my desk. I make it through one needle's worth of stitches here and there and pretend to myself it's a row rather than merely 1/3rd of one.

I know, though, that those thirds of rows will add up and I'll be at a heel turn someday. You know, in October. When it's cold again rather than still.

We've had a lot of rain today and three days of warmer temperatures moving us away from the very tall snow piles to very deep puddles. While I have made it outside without my snow boots for the past two days, I've been limited to sneakers as I squelch along and try not to fall on the very slippery slush. Wool socks are still afoot all the time. It's currently in the mid 40s so I'm going to canoe my way home (not really, though I'm glad the train I take is elevated) and hope that it's not entirely ice by the time I head out tomorrow morning.